


Always Be Blessed With Love

by crossword



Series: Let their Wings Unfold [4]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Christmas, Growing Up, M/M, New Rome (Percy Jackson)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-09-25 09:29:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17118767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crossword/pseuds/crossword
Summary: “Father,” he questioned a little desperately. He had a feeling he knew what this was about.“Nico, this is your sister, Daisy. She’ll be staying with you from now on.”The son of Hades wanted to protest. Neither he nor Will had time for a child – Will had only just started his residency, and Nico hadn’t even completed his degree yet. They didn’t have the time, or the money, or the experience, or the basic furniture for –He looked up and Hades was gone. Nico was left standing alone in his apartment with a newborn sister on his arm. Typical.





	1. Nico, or Why You Should Never Get Out of Bed to Answer the Doorbell

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, merry Christmas everyone! This one's been knocking around my brain for a while now, so I figured I'll let it out now I have the time. Enjoy!

**Nico**

 

He groaned when he opened his eyes and the weak, barely risen sun filtering through the curtains immediately blinded him. Slapping an arm over his face, he rolled onto his stomach. Through the haze of sleep, he noticed that he had a lot of space to do so. Will must have gotten up already. Indeed, when he quieted down again, he could hear the sound of someone brushing their teeth in the bathroom of their tiny apartment. Right. Tuesday. Early shift. He was one hundred percent motivated to get up and go make some breakfast for his husband before he left for the hospital. But. The bed. So warm. So comfy. Even without Will.

 

An undetermined amount of time later, a hand carded through his hair. He groaned again at being woken, batting at it half-heartedly, but Will just chuckled.

 

“Hey Angel, give me a kiss before I leave? Then you can go back to sleep.”

 

The son of Hades rolled onto his back, glaring up at his husband, but puckered up anyway. Will tasted like mint and tea, and a few years ago, Nico would probably still have been nervous about his bad breath. But the son of Apollo had been kissing him good morning before class, before work, before sneaking out of the Hades cabin when they were teenagers, for a long time now. As they separated again, Nico took the time to once again revel in his husband’s hotness. His golden curls were messy as ever, and he always made time in his schedule for archery, so his arms and chest were just as developed as they’d been at sixteen, the T-shirt he’d wear on his way to the New Roman hospital stretching nicely. Nico was tempted to grab him by the collar and drag him under the sheets for an a bit more expansive good morning. But Will always hated being late to work. He decided to be good.

 

“I’ll see you tonight?” he murmured.

 

“Yeah,” Will replied quietly, running a finger along the side of his face lovingly. “I’ll grab the groceries on the way home. Don’t forget your class this afternoon. Oh, and I left that eczema cream I got for Sherry on the counter, you need to drop it off with Hazel on the way. Chips for your work meeting too, you know how Leo gets without snacks.”

 

Nico nodded, before giving in and hauling Will in once again for another kiss.

 

Five minutes later, his husband rolled off the bed, frantically tidying his hair.

 

“I’m so late, oh Phoebus,” he cursed, grabbing his bag and his keys. “Bye love!”

 

The sound of the door slamming echoed through the apartment and Nico rolled onto his back smugly. He had another hour to doze before he had to start getting ready for the meeting with the New Rome mountain rescue team he helped out with on the side of his studies at the university.

 

But barely half an hour later, the sound of the doorbell dragged him out of his sleep again.

 

“Will!” he yelled irritatedly, throwing his pillow in the general direction of the kitchen. Oh, right. He’d already left. Cursing under his breath, the son of Hades rolled out of bed and grabbed a pair of pajama pants from the floor where they’d ended up the previous night. Stumbling a little as he pulled them on, he made his way to the door and yanked it open, fully intending to cuss out whoever it was that had interrupted his slumber. But when his brain finally processed who was on his doorstep, words failed him, and he immediately slammed it shut again.

 

“Nico,” Hades yelled through the door. “Let me in. Now!”

 

“No way,” muttered the demigod, sinking to the floor with his back to the door. Hades was here. This was bad. There was never a good reason for this. And he’d been so happy. Oh gods.

 

“Really, didn’t I raise you better than this?”

 

Nico lifted his eyes. His father was standing in front of him, looking distinctly out of place in the cheery, warm colors of the apartment. (Will’s choices, mostly. And he’d sworn on the Styx he’d never tell anyone Nico had chosen the throw pillows.) The tiny spruce Christmas tree in a planter pot they’d gotten from Juniper started visibly wilting, and a couple of the blinking fairy lights (a joke gift from Cecil Nico still didn’t get) his husband had draped over the stacks of books on the floor shorted out.

 

“You didn’t raise me,” he spat at the god. “What do you want?”

 

The lord of Death sighed. “I suppose not. I have a job for you.”

 

Nico shook his head, hands creeping over his ears. “No. I won’t. I can’t.”

 

Hades rolled his eyes. “No need to be so melodramatic. Really, that son of Apollo is rubbing off on you.”

 

Resisting the urge to make an inappropriate joke about Will and rubbing things (his part time job had him spending way too much time with Leo), he settled for glaring. Until a hiccup made him startle.

 

“Oh no. She’s awake.”

 

For the first time in his life, Nico witnessed what could be construed as actual panic on the god’s face. He was juggling something wrapped up in his robes, which for a moment slipped to reveal –

 

“Dad!” Nico scrambled to his feet. “What the You are you doing with a baby?”

 

“Nic – hold still, you little squirmer –“

 

The son of Hades lurched forward, grabbing the infant before “she”, apparently, could slip out of his father’s grasp, and quickly settled her against his shoulder, like Hazel had taught him with Sherry. She was a tiny thing, couldn’t have been more than a few weeks old, with a wisp of brown hair and eyes like big blue marbles. Her clothes immediately struck him – a lacy white dress and underneath what felt like a cloth diaper. She didn’t fuss much, just settled against him and fixed his face with an intense stare.

 

“Father,” he questioned a little desperately. He had a feeling he knew what this was about.

 

“Nico, this is your sister, Daisy. She’ll be staying with you from now on.”

 

The son of Hades wanted to protest. Neither he nor Will had time for a child – Will had only just started his residency, and Nico hadn’t even completed his degree in Nursing yet. They didn’t have the time, or the experience, or the basic furniture for –

 

He looked up and Hades was gone. Nico was left standing alone in his apartment with a newborn sister on his arm. Typical.


	2. Hazel, or Birth Control: What's That?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!

**Hazel**

 

She was getting Sherry dressed for the day when she got the call. Her little girl was giggling up at her as she struggled to pull a shirt over her head. God, she loved her. She honestly couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so happy in her life, and every day, it seemed to get better. Thanks to the little miracle in front of her.

 

Of course, she hadn’t always been so sure things would turn out like this. While she and Frank had gotten married barely out of high school – among other reasons because, and as a married mother, she felt she could admit it to herself now, she honestly hadn’t been sure she’d be able to keep her hands off her boyfriend much longer – they’d never really talked about kids much. Which in hindsight was rather foolish of them, as they’d realized when Will and Nico welcomed them back from their honeymoon, and the son of Apollo had immediately spewed out the wine he’d been drinking.

 

But everything had worked out surprisingly well, for which Hazel considered herself blessed. She and her boyfriend had both cut back their school hours, and the daughter of Pluto had turned to her mineral skills for some quick cash, with such success that they had even been able to amass the money to open a small jewelry shop in the center of New Rome, right below an apartment they’d found. They now divided the work quite evenly, Hazel staying up in the apartment creating her newest pieces, and Frank manning the counter below while he studied for his law degree. Sherry had a playpen in both places, waving about precious gems bigger than her tiny fists as Hazel worked, or customers cooed over her. They also got a more than occasional hand from Piper, who lived almost next door and absolutely adored her goddaughter.

 

There had only once been a tiny incident, when a piece of wood had turned up in her crib a few nights after her birth. Frank had paled at the sight of it, snatching away his daughter like it was a poisonous snake.

 

Hazel remembered the moment well. Nico had once told her, a few drinks going to his head and Will wrapped around his back like a shield, about the time during the war when Reyna and Hedge had been threatened, and he had dipped into powers he hadn’t known he possessed, to literally turn the attacking demigod into a ghost. That night, clutching a piece of wood that was to dictate her daughter’s life, Hazel had finally known how he must have felt. Rage and fear and pure raw power had ripped through her, focused and channeled into the object of her wrath. When she came to a few minutes later, she was laying on the floor with Frank desperately calling her name while Sherry cried in the crib next to them. The piece of wood had left a scratch in the floor where she’d dropped it. It had been petrified. Literally. Turned to stone, Medusa style. It was now hidden away in the back of her dresser beneath her unmentionables, as a further thing never to be spoken of again.

 

But other than that, she mused to herself, as Sherry reached out and grabbed at her shiny dangling earrings – of her own design, ones she’d made that reminded her too much of her own mother’s to sell – things had turned out beautifully. When the phone started ringing, she gave up on zipping up the little red Christmas skirt, and Sherry gleefully tottered off, laughing, her little bare legs moving as fast as she could. Hiding a smile, she stood, stretching her legs (her second pregnancy was starting to make moving just a little more difficult) and followed her daughter into the living room. Skirting the enormous Christmas tree Frank's grandmother had shipped to them, she picked up the ringing device she’d reluctantly learned to use for their business.

 

“Hello?” she asked absently, picking up a few bath towels Frank had left to dry over the kitchen chairs after Sherry’s bath last night.

 

“Hazel. I need your help.”

 

Nico’s tone immediately set her on edge.

 

“What is it, what do you need?” She glanced around for Sherry as she jammed the phone between her ear and her shoulder and yanked a baby-proofed bathroom drawer open to pull out a celestial bronze dagger.

 

“Dad was here.”

 

This time Hazel noticed a subdued note in her brother’s tone, like he was forcing himself to speak calmly.

 

“What’s wrong, Nico, is he still there? Is someone holding you hostage?”

 

“No. I mean, Maria.”

 

The daughter of Pluto relaxed upon hearing the code word they’d agreed upon to signal to each other that they were safe. She stuffed the knife back into the drawer.

 

“My God, Nico, you scared me. What’s the matter, does he want you to go on a quest?”

 

“Not… exactly.”

 

She frowned. “Then what, what’s wrong? Is it another prophecy?”

 

“No, Hazel, it’s…we have a sister.”

 

The demigoddess froze.

 

“What? Where? Is she okay?”

 

“Where?” Nico laughed humorlessly. “Here in my apartment. He dropped her off ten minutes ago.”

 

Hazel swallowed. “Wow. Can I talk to her?”

 

“I doubt she can.”

 

“Why, is she hurt? Do you want me to go get Will?”

 

“No, she’s fine, as far as I can tell. She’s just...two.”

 

“She’s two?”

 

“Weeks. She’s two weeks old, near as I can figure from the paperwork dad left on the kitchen table. He wants me and Will to look after her.”

 

Hazel sank down on the sofa, feeling faint. Her eyes latched onto her daughter, who’d found a stuffed animal to play with under the Christmas tree, and she forced herself to stay present.

 

“That’s… something. What’s her name?”

 

“Daisy.”

 

Even through the thin sheen of panic she could hear in her brother’s voice, there was no mistaking the adoration already there. The oxygen seemed to rush back into her lungs all of a sudden.

 

“That’s beautiful, Nico, I’m so happy for you.”

 

The son of Hades sounded a little teary. “Me too. But I just need you to help me explain this to Will. Oh, and can we borrow your crib?”

 

 


	3. Annabeth, or Woman Makes Plans: Goddess Laughs

**Annabeth**

 

“Oh, sure, we’ll bring one right over, I highly doubt we’ll need both again.” Annabeth surreptitiously reached out and knocked on their wood kitchen table the kids were currently in the process of destroying. She loved the twins, she really did, but gods help her, they were a lot of work, and she wouldn’t put it past Hera to pull the same sadistic trick on her again.

 

“Yeah, she sounds adorable, gods, Will’s going to be ecstatic, you know he’s always wanted one, he was just so sure Nico wouldn’t. Lucky, put that down,” she added sharply as her son waved a butter knife at a fly buzzing over the table.

 

“On it,” Percy called, rushing into the kitchen wearing nothing but a towel around his waist and half his face covered in shaving cream. “Lucky, drop it!”

 

“Gods,” Annabeth muttered into the phone. “Remind me again why I let Seaweed Brain choose one of our kids’ names?”

 

“You were doped up on pain meds,” Piper reminded her gently. “And I think it’s sweet. It’s obviously a word play on “Luke”, which he must have chosen for you, but with a twist.”

 

“Yeah, like a Dolphin Movie twist.”

 

Piper chuckled. “To be fair, he did let you name the other one –“

 

“There’s nothing wrong with Hatshepsut!”

 

“Well – “

 

“She was one of ancient Egypt’s most powerful rulers! And one of its most prolific architects!”

 

“How is Hattie?” Piper interrupted in an obvious attempt to change the subject.

 

“Hattie, no reading at the table!”

 

Annabeth glanced over. Her boyfriend was attempting to wrestle a book from their daughter’s hands, but she was hanging on with an obstinate expression. Lucky had resumed his fly-hunting, and Percy’s towel was beginning to slip.

 

“I’ll call you back, Pipes. But yeah, I’ll ask Percy to leash up the kids and have them pull one of the cribs over to Will and Nico’s today, that should deal with some of their extra energy.”

 

Hanging up the phone, she twirled and stabilized the fake Christmas Tree Percy had stumbled into when Hattie had finally relinquished her hold on the book (one meant for seven year-olds, she noted proudly).

 

“Okay, everybody freeze!”

 

The kids (and Percy) immediately stopped moving at the sound of what she’d dubbed her “construction site voice”. Letting go of the tree, she righted the overturned jam jar on the table, pulled the knife from Lucky’s hand, and pushed Hattie’s juice away from the edge of the kitchen table.

 

“As you were. Now finish your food, you have to go visit Uncle Nico today.”

 

“Yay!” Hattie cheered, waving her hands in the air so jam-covered crumbs fell into her hair. Annabeth felt her eye twitch.

 

“On it,” Percy mumbled, tucking his towel back in and wiping their daughter’s hands with the edge of it. Annabeth sighed, sitting back down to finish her coffee.

 

“So what’s up at the casa Solace-di Angelo?” Percy asked.

 

“It’s c _a_ sa, not cas _a_ , daddy,” Hattie interrupted sternly.

 

“You’re right, sweetie. Daddy’s Spanish still needs work. You can help me later, right?”

 

Hattie nodded importantly.

 

“I wanna see Uncle Leo,” Lucky pouted. “Uncle Nico scares me.”

 

“Scaredy-cat” Hattie sneered.

 

“That’s enough, kids!” Annabeth interjected. “Hattie, don’t call your brother names. Lucky, don’t talk about Uncle Nico like that. Besides, I doubt he’ll be very scary with a baby.”

 

“He watching Sherry today?” Percy asked absent-mindedly, helping their daughter with the butter.

 

“Nope.” Annabeth allowed herself a grin. “He’s got one all his own now.”

 

Three sets of eyes swiveled in her direction, staring.

 

“Oh my gods, they got a baby? Will must be so excited, he’s always wanted one!”

 

“Actually,” she interrupted. “Will doesn’t know yet. It’s a daughter of Hades, Nico’s dad basically dumped her on their doorstep this morning. Her name is Daisy.”

 

“Adorable,” Percy cooed, his eyes drifting over to her pleadingly.

  
“Yeah, a baby!” clapped Lucky, spraying jam-covered crumbs in all directions.

 

“Don’t even think about it!” Annabeth warned her husband sternly. “Not until I finish the Greek Embassy building at least.”

 

“That could be years!” Percy protested.

 

“Exactly,” she stated, buttering herself her own piece of toast.

 

“Mommy, can I have a little brother?” Hattie interrupted, her face scrunched.

 

“You have a little brother,” she told her daughter. “Besides, don’t you want to finish your degree at some point?”

 

Percy shrugged. “Well, yeah, sure. But I’ve got time. And with the kids in  kindergarten , I’m going to have a lot more time, I could do both.”

 

“Mommy, can I have a little sister?”

 

“You have a little sister, Lucky.”

 

“But I thought Lucky was littler than me, mommy!”

 

“Shush, mommy and daddy are talking about why mommy doesn’t want to get pregnant again.”

 

“Mommy, I want a little – “

 

“Seriously, Perce, did you teach them this?”

 

H er boyfriend gave her his best puppy dog eyes. “Maybe?”

 

The daughter of Athena sighed. “We can negotiate later. I need to get to work, and you need to get a crib, and probably a whole bunch of other baby stuff over to Nico. I am  _not_ losing godmothership of this one  to Piper. ”

 

“Aye aye, captain,” Percy saluted. “But let’s be honest, Reyna’s totally going to be the godmother.”

 

 

 

 


	4. Reyna, or That One Friend Who Takes the Scout's Motto Way Too Seriously

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, my search history is now a worrying combination of "deadly disease" and "pregnancy", but you get a new chapter.

**Reyna**

 

She didn’t bother knocking when she heard the sound of tears.

 

“Okay, I’m here, where is she?”

 

“Reyna, oh thank Hera.”

 

Nico looked frazzled, pacing back and forth with his daughter (sister?) cradled in his arms wearing nothing but a towel.

 

“I’m about ninety percent sure this time she’s hungry, because last time she needed a diaper change, but if she needs another diaper change, I’m in trouble, because my father apparently has no idea how to care for a baby, so he only left the one she was wearing when she got here, and –“

 

“Okay, papa, calm down,” Reyna soothed. “I’ve got baby formula, I’ve got diapers and I got some clothes and an emergency crib from the siege supplies, they should cover you until we can hold a baby shower and get you everything else. Here.” She dumped all her bags onto the couch, ripping out a few diapers from the megapack she’d bought and spreading a soft bath towel.

 

“You get her dressed, I’m make some food for her, and then you can properly introduce us.”

 

Nico nodded, mumbling sweet nothings into his sister/daughter’s hair as he complied.

 

“Okay, here we go.” She handed the freshly prepared bottle to her friend. “I already did the arm thing, don’t worry.” The son of Hades nodded thankfully, carefully presenting it to Daisy, who immediately grabbed it.

 

“Aw, _tesoro_ , you were hungry, weren’t you,” he cooed quietly as she suckled.

 

“Whew. Well that was a rush.” Reyna slumped down on the couch next to them, blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face. Daisy immediately stopped drinking, lifting her big blue eyes to the daughter of Bellona.

 

“Hey, sweetie, this is your tía Reyna. Reyna, say hi.”

 

The demigoddess smiled at the baby’s solemn stare.

 

“Hey Daisy. Nice to meet you. This is definitely going to be one of the more exciting claiming stories, isn’t it,” she cooed.

 

Nico sighed, gingerly lifting his daughter (Reyna decided to just stick with that description), but the moment she was further than half an arm’s length away, she immediately started bawling again, and Nico pulled her back like he’d heard gunshots.

 

“Sorry, I think this whole morning has been a little too eventful for her,” he apologized, nestling her head back against his shoulder.

 

“No worries,” Reyna laughed. “She just wants her papa, right _querida?_ ” She patted Daisy on the back, and the little demigoddess burped. “So any idea who her mother is?”

 

Nico shook his head. “I haven’t really been able to look, she cries every time I so much as glance away from her. Hades left all her papers on the kitchen table though.”

 

Reyna nodded, standing up again. 

 

“You’ll have to get Frank to read most of this legalese,” she commented, shuffling through the pile of rumpled papers. “But I’m pretty sure this here,” she lifted a smudged form, “is a death certificate. Dated yesterday morning. Woman by the name of Lillith White. Cause of death – oh.” She looked up at Nico. “Lupus.”

 

The son of Hades shrugged. Reyna could tell he was uncomfortable. “It was to be expected, I guess. And wouldn’t a terminally ill woman be exactly Hades’s type?”

 

Reyna nodded, deciding to let it go. “Anyway, it looks like the adoption papers are all in order, you and Will are her legal guardians, as per Ms White and the father of the child who chooses not to be named. Your and Will’s signatures are even forged onto them.”

 

Nico winced.

 

“You did call Will, right?” the former praetor asked severely.

 

“It’s on the list,” the son of Hades hedged.

 

“Nico! He’s your husband, I think he deserves not to be the last one to know that he’s a father!”

 

“He won’t be the last to know, I only told you and Hazel so far!”

 

As if on cue, the doorbell rang, followed immediately by the door bursting open to reveal a wooden crib with two three year olds riding in it.

 

“Baby delivery!” Percy yelled from somewhere in the hallway.

 

“Oh for gods sakes,” Reyna muttered, grabbing the edge of the crib before it could knock down the vase on the side table Will and Nico had gotten in Italy. “Percy, stop moving!”

 

“Hey Reyna! You’re already here! Guess Annabeth’s going to have to wait for Hazel’s next baby to become godmother after all.” 

 

The daughter of Bellona felt herself redden. But when she turned towards Nico, who was still sitting on the couch cradling his daughter like he was trying to shield her from the noise, he just waved a hand at her.

 

“Of course it’s going to be you,” he dismissed. 

 

“Nico...” she beamed.

 

“Aunt Reyna,” screamed one of the Jackson-Chase’s little monsters, Reyna wasn’t sure which.

 

“Hi everyone!” She randomly grabbed one under the arms and lifted it into the apartment. The other apparently wasn’t in the mood to wait and scaled the edge of it, tumbling down onto the carpet. Reyna was barely able to reach out a hand and keep it from smacking its head against the floor, but it just sprung up again, running after its sibling into the apartment.

 

“Fine. Percy, help me move this thing into...”

 

She glanced at Nico.

 

“The study?” he seemed to ask rather than say.

 

“I’ll take it,” she sighed.

 

After a lot of pushing and shoving, and as little cursing as possible (one of the twins was a real sponge when it came to curse words), they managed to relocate the crib to Will’s study, his books tossed into the corner to make room for all the other things Annabeth had sent over, including a baby bath, diaper changing station and a whole mountain of cuddly toys her own kids started playing with immediately, letting the adults regroup in the living room with Daisy.

 

“All right, show her to me,” Percy demanded, unceremoniously plucking the sleepy infant out of Nico’s arms. She started crying again, but was soon distracted by the son of Poseidon making faces at her. Reyna knew she and Nico were both staring when he lifted his head again.

 

“What?” he asked defensively.

 

“How are you so good at this?” Nico asked disbelievingly, voicing Reyna’s sentiments exactly. Percy just chuckled. “Believe me, once you’ve had to handle twins, one baby is no problem. Are you, you adorable little princess of Darkness,” he cooed at Daisy, who giggled and tried to grab his nose. “You’re almost as small as Nico was when I first met him.”

 

“Fu – dge off, Jackson,” Nico scowled. “Give me my baby back.” 

 

“All right, daddy, here you go,” the son of Poseidon pacified, settling Daisy back into her father’s arms. “Speaking of which, where is other daddy? You couldn’t pry me away with a crowbar the first day we brought home Lucky and Hatshepsut.”

 

“First of all, you are the _only_ person who calls her that, including Annabeth,” Nico snorted, settling back in the couch with his daughter.

 

“Hey, it’s a cool name!” he protested, dropping himself onto the carpet as Reyna claimed the place next to Nico.

 

“Second,” the son of Hades continued, ignoring his cousin. “I haven’t exactly… told Will yet. I kinda panicked and called Hazel and Reyna first. How did you find out anyway?”

 

“Annabeth got a call from Piper, you know Hazel tells her everything,” Percy dismissed.

 

Nico groaned. “Perfect.”

 

“’Sup, _amigos_! And who is _this_?”

 

The three demigods looked up. Reyna realized they must have left the door open, and now Leo was striding in, holding out a his grease covered hands for Daisy. Nico obviously recoiled.

 

“Wash your hands first,” he practically snarled. “There’s grease soap under the sink in the kitchen.”

 

“Fine, fine,” Leo backed off, raising his hands. “But start talking while I do. Is there a baby sale in town? Did I accidentally stay in the garage too long and Annabeth had a baby? Ooh, is it Reyna’s? Did you and Reyna have a baby I don’t know about? Is that why Will’s not here, did you leave him for Reyna?”

 

“What are you even doing here?” Nico yelled, though he quickly quieted down when Daisy startled.

 

“You missed the mountain rescue team meeting this morning. No one brought chips.”

 

“Right. The meeting. Sorry, I was a little distracted by Hades forging my signature onto a bunch of adoption papers for his newest daughter and then leaving her on my doorstep.”

 

“Wait, that can happen?” Leo poked his head out of the doorway, looking alarmed. “Is Hephaestus going to come by and leave me in charge of another Harley?”

 

Percy frowned. “How do you think Nyssa got her kid?”

 

Leo stopped short. “Um… pregnancy?”

 

The three demigods in the living room rolled their eyes.

 

“Anyway, Nico, you have to call Will. If Piper knows, then sooner or later, her siblings will pry it from her, and then all of New Rome will know. You do not want your husband finding out about this through his work buddies. Or worse, Cecil.”

 

Percy nodded. “Agree with Reyna. Will has a right to know, you need to make this right. Why didn’t you call him first, anyway?”

 

Nico shifted uncomfortably, adjusting Daisy’s blanket. She’d drifted off during their discussion, Reyna noticed.

 

“I was kinda worried. We’ve never really talked about kids. What if he doesn’t want any?”

 

Reyna could tell she wasn’t the only one staring in shock. It was Leo who finally broke the silence.

 

“Dude, have you been huffing baby powder? Will loves kids. Remember how he was back at camp with his younger siblings? Remember when Sherry first came along?”

 

“Yeah, dude, you should see him around Lucky and Hatshepsut. Speaking of which – ” the son of Poseidon stood to check the study, mumbling something about “way too quiet”.

 

Deciding to take matters into her own hands, Reyna pulled out her phone and searched for Will’s contact. Once she’d found it, she held out the screen to her friend.

 

“Dial. Now.”

 


	5. Austin, or the Eternal Quest For Phone Numbers

**Austin**

 

Austin knew he would remember this moment for the rest of his life. Because he was going to remember it every time he saw Will. And he would hate his brother for it.

 

It was like it happened in slow motion. Adrienne, the drop dead gorgeous trauma surgeon with eyes like molten chocolate and hands like a really violent pianist's, had finally caved. Weeks of flirting, of composing special little ditties for all the children in the pediatric ward just so he’d have a reason to come back every day, were finally paying off. She’d written her number seductively onto the napkin he was using to wipe one of the kids’ spit off his face, and was handing it back to him…when his idiot brother came careening around the corner like Hades was on his tail, knocking Addie, as he’d taken to nicknaming her, into a wall, and all Austin could do as Will hauled him away by the arm, not even slowing down, was watch the napkin flutter to the floor, where an intern stepped on it and walked it away.

 

“What the Hades, Will!” he screamed as he ran full tilt after his brother down the streets of central New Rome.

 

“Nico called!” his older brother yelled back. “He said it’s urgent!”

 

“Did he say what!” panted Austin, narrowly avoiding a little old lady with a broadsword at the entrance to the training fields, who glared at him menacingly.

  
“No! Which means it’s important, you know how Nico is!”

 

“All I’m saying is, we had better not be recreating the bloody Marathon race just because your husband wants you to pick up more popcorn!”

 

They finally made it to the apartment building Will and his husband lived in. Will immediately charged up the stairs, while Austin ducked into the elevator, arriving at the floor of their apartment two seconds after his brother.

 

“Nico!” Will yelled, throwing open the door. Austin stepped out of the elevator in time to watch his brother grab the son of Hades and hold him close, before anxiously patting him down. He was too far away to hear what they were saying, but he saw his brother’s face go from panicked to confused, then dumbstruck. Nico looked over his shoulder and Reyna came out of their bedroom, holding a really small baby in her arms and smiling more brightly than Austin had ever seen. Will practically tripped over his own feet in his haste to get to her, gingerly taking the child, his eyes shining. Nico tentatively stepped closer, and his brother automatically reached out to wrap an arm around him like he had for close to a decade.

 

Deciding it was okay to intrude (and frankly just curious as to what was going on in general), the son of Apollo finally pushed off the hallway wall and stepped into the apartment.

 

“Hey guys, you wanna let me in on whatever this is?”

 

He gestured vaguely at the small gathering of demigods. Percy, he noticed, had come to the door of the study with his two little demons held by the collars of their shirts, and Leo had appeared at the entrance to the kitchen nursing a pack of chips.

 

Will was still much too entranced by the baby, whose tiny fist he was playing with, and Nico was just watching the both of them with hearts in his eyes, so it was Reyna who answered.

 

“Come meet your niece, son of Apollo. This is Daisy.”

 

Austin blinked. “Wow. Niece. Okay, I did not see that one coming. I mean, I know you wanted one, Will, but you didn’t tell me you were looking.”

 

Nico finally tore his eyes away. “Seriously, Sunshine, did you tell _everyone_ except me that you wanted kids?”

 

Will shrugged, pressing a kiss to his new daughter’s forehead. “Maybe. You can’t be mad, I wasn’t the first person you told when you got her.”

 

Nico bowed his head. “Fair enough.”

 

“Okay, sorry, but got her _where_? Is there some baby market you Romans have that I should be aware of?” the younger son of Apollo interjected, still confused. 

 

“I thought that too, first. Apparently Hades gave her to them,” Leo informed him through a mouthful of corn chips.

 

“Another child of Hades, huh? Well come here then, kiddo. Time to meet your favorite uncle.” He started forward, only to have Will recoil. 

 

“I just got her,” his brother whined plaintively.

 

“Yeah, guys, maybe we should give them a little space. You know, just to be a family?” Reyna offered, and Austin saw Nico mouth a silent thanks at her. With a little coaxing, they managed to herd the twins and Leo out of the apartment (although the son of Hephaestus insisted on keeping the chips). The last sight the son of Apollo saw before he closed the front door was his brother and brother-in-law on the couch, curled together to make a tent over their daughter’s head. 

 

 

 

 


	6. Will, or The Benefits of Naptime

**Will**

 

Daisy stirred from her place on his chest, and he immediately sat up, cradling her head with his hand. Nico jerked awake at his side, looking around at the darkened apartment.

 

“Guess we fell asleep,” he yawned, reaching over to rub Daisy’s back. Their daughter stared back at them with her huge eyes.

 

“Yeah, did daddy and papa fall asleep, sweetie?” Will cooed, drawing her attention back to him.

 

“She’s not smiling,” Nico noted, a tinge of anxiety in his voice.

 

“Relax, I’m sure that’s normal,” the son of Apollo reassured him, making a mental note to buy all the baby books once the stores opened again in the mornings. He leaned over to switch on a lamp. “Why don’t we make some lunch. Or early dinner, depending on how you see it,” he amended, glancing at the clock. “Shoot, I hope Austin told the hospital what happened, I only took long enough to tell Gwen before I charged out of there when I got your call.”

 

Nico held up his phone. “Yeah, looks like he and Reyna and Gwen all did. You have an email from your supervisor, you get the rest of the week on ‘family emergency’ time", he read, his eyes scanning the screen.

 

Will sighed, stretching his back as well as he could with Daisy still on his chest.

 

“Great, well that works out. Pasta?”

 

Nico nodded. “I’ll start. Percy left one of their Moses baskets if you want to put her down for a bit.”

 

Will shook his head, hiking up their daughter so their faces were aligned. “I’m good. I wanna enjoy this, they grow too fast.”

 

Nico snorted. “You met five hours ago.”

 

“And I’m pretty sure her eyes have gotten darker since then.” When Daisy started squirming, he readjusted his hold on her and stood up, following Nico into the kitchen.

 

“I don’t think she likes it when you leave her sight.”

 

His husband sighed. “I’m not surprised, she’s had a lot of changes today.”

 

Will nodded solemnly, sitting at their small round table. “She has, hasn’t she. Haven’t you, honey-pie.” He smacked another kiss on her head. “These the papers Hades left?”

 

“Yeah. I was going to have Frank go over them to make sure everything is there, he and Hazel want to come over with Sherry tomorrow to meet Daisy.”

 

“Sounds like a play date,” Will replied, sifting one-handedly through the pile. “Huh.”

 

Nico turned at his tone. “What, what’s the matter?”

 

“Nothing, love,” Will quickly reassured him. “It’s just… her mother died of Lupus.”

 

Nico nodded. “Yeah, Reyna already figured that one out.”

 

The son of Apollo considered, before pressing a hand to his daughter’s back and cautiously sending out feelers.

 

“She seems healthy. We should probably have her checked out at the hospital though, sometimes Lupus can be passed on to the infant and cause cardiac problems. Though her godly blood should protect her from that, I guess.”

 

Nico nodded. “Good call. We also need to figure out what we’re going to do about childcare.”

 

Will considered. “Well, there’s a good nursery where Nyssa puts her son, we could trade off on work or class days, leave her there the rest of the time, occasionally call in a favor from our friends. I’m sure Hazel or Percy wouldn’t mind at all.”

 

His husband opened his mouth, then seemed to hesitate.

 

“Nico?” the son of Apollo prodded gently.

 

“I was thinking, I could take a page out of Percy’s book, take a break from my classes, stay with her until she’s better adjusted. She’s only a few weeks old and she already lost her mother. I want to be there for her.”

 

Will stood, finally settling Daisy into the Moses bed on the counter.

 

“You’re not mad, right?” Nico asked hesitantly. "I know my studies mean a lot to you."

 

Will did his best to appease his fears by hugging him tightly. “I love you,” he whispered into his ear.

 

When he pulled back, he rested his hands on his husband’s shoulders. “You’re sure you don’t mind? You don’t have to do this, we could work something out.”

 

Nico shook his head. “I really want to,” he confessed.

 

Will leaned down to kiss him, and it was just as soft and sweet as it had been at fifteen.

 

“I love you,” he whispered again.

 

Daisy chose that moment to decide to make her hunger known with a loud wail, and the two demigods hurried to get her another bottle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay everyone, it's a contest. I can't decide who Daisy's godfather should be, so if you have an opinion, vote in the comments.
> 
> And yes, there is a potential backstory to that ominous comment about Nico's studies. It will detailed, but not in this fic.


	7. Nico, or the Circle of Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, based on your candidates, and since I'm not sure whether this takes into account Trials of Apollo or not, I made the totally undemocratic decision to elect Cecil to the post of godfather, because, as Sarah pointed out, Will's friends do get overlooked a lot.

**Nico**

 

He wasn’t sure what woke him, perhaps the rustle of cloth, or a darkening shadow. But when he opened his eyes, there was a figure standing over the crib they’d dragged into their bedroom a few hours earlier, when it became clear that neither of them felt like being more than a few meters away from their little girl any time soon. His demigod senses went into overdrive, registering everything in his surroundings, from the way the figure was bent over his daughter to Will’s quiet snore on the bed next to him. But even as he reached for the Stygian Iron blade he kept behind his bedside table, he hesitated. Something about the figure was strangely familiar.

 

“It’s all right, young demigod. I’m not here to take her away. I just wanted to see her one last time.”

 

Nico stood, slowly making his way around the bed.

 

“Lady Persephone?”

 

The goddess reached into the crib, brushing a finger along Daisy’s cheek.

 

“She looks healthier already. Hades was right. The Underworld is no place for a child.”

 

Nico frowned. “My lady?”

 

His stepmother spoke on, barely seeming to hear him.

 

“I tried keeping her with me, but it was affecting her spirit. I had no choice. This is for the best.”

 

Through the murk of sleepiness, realization dawned on the demigod.

 

 “She’s not a daughter of Hades. She’s yours.”

 

Persephone bowed her head, and Nico thought he saw a tear slide down her cheek.

 

“For the best," she repeated. "The Romans abhor adulteresses, even as they cast a blind eye to adulterers.” The disgust was evident in her voice.

 

Nico shook his head. “Maybe in ancient times, but… ”

 

“Oh no, son of Hades,” the goddess laughed humorlessly. “Do not mistake this behavior as past and forgotten, it very much still exists in this day and age.”

 

She leaned again over the crib.

 

“You are to tell no one of this,” she insisted. "For my Daisy's sake."

 

“It will become obvious eventually, my lady,” he tried to argue. “Her powers –“

 

“Will be more similar to your own than you think,” the goddess interrupted. “Death and rebirth… they are but opposites of the same coin. Good night, my little flower.”

 

With a last kiss, she straightened.

 

“You will take good care of my daughter, son of Hades.”

 

Nico nodded absently, moving to the crib to check on his baby.

 

“Of course. Oh, lady Persephone, wait.”

 

The goddess turned from the entrance of the bedroom.

 

“Yes?”

 

“What about her birth father?”

 

“Dead. Car crash,” she replied curtly.

 

“Right. And Lillith White?”

 

Persephone waved a hand dismissively. “Some woman your father took a liking to in the last month or so. The child wasn’t his. She took it to Erebus with her.”

 

Nico closed his eyes, sighing. “Okay then.”

 

With another nod and the silent whoosh of her dress,  the goddess of Springtime moved out of sight. A second later, a bright light flashed through the door and Nico knew he was once again alone with his little family.

 

“Hey babe, you okay?”

 

Will was raising himself groggily on one elbow. “How’s our little angel?”

 

Nico smiled, pulling the soft blanket up higher on their daughter’s chest.

 

“She’s fine. Sleeping, for now. We should get some rest, based on what Hazel told me, that’s going to be in short supply in a few months. Or weeks. Or something.”

 

Will nodded, making grabby hands at his husband.

 

“Good idea. Come on, papa, cuddle time.”

 

Nico gladly climbed back up the bed and into the son of Apollo’s embrace. He thought for a second before deciding he’d kept enough things from his other half today.

 

“Hey Will.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“I need to tell you something. But I need you to swear on the Styx you’ll keep it secret until Daisy’s older.”

 

“Secrets? I’m great at secrets,” his husband mumbled sleepily.

 

Nico patted his shoulder, deciding to let it slide for now.

 

“Okay, fine. I swear on the Styx. What’s up?”

 

When Nico told him, his husband’s eyes actually widened, and he let his head fall back on the pillow.

 

“You know, I thought there was something weird about that, if her mother was that sick, Daisy would’ve had some symptoms, at least.”

 

Nico nodded. “Turns out she was just a red herring. And… we have no idea who our daughter’s birth father is,” he realized belatedly.

 

Will threaded a hand through his hair.

 

“S’okay. We can check car accident records tomorrow, Malcolm works at the National Statistics whatever, he should be able to find something.”

 

“Good idea,” the son of Hades yawned. “Good night, Sunshine.”

 

“Wait, does this mean we have to make Katie, or Miranda, or _Meg_ godmother?”

 

“Please, Reyna would murder them first.”

 

“You really think Reyna could take Meg?”

 

“By sneaking up on her? No problem.”

 

“Yeah, I guess. So it’s just Austin and Cecil who have to fight it out for godfather.”

 

"Cecil. Always Cecil, my love."

 

"Are you sure? I thought he irritated you."

"He does. But between him and Lou Ellen, they should be able to provide a pretty stable family life. And Lou has a little experience with Underworld powers. Austin is..."

 

"Austin," his husband completed. "Untied, untethered, impossible to pin down."

 

"Yeah. Nothing against him, you know I love your brother-"

 

"Oh the betrayal!" Will interrupted, grinning.

 

"-but we have to think of what's best for Daisy." Nico continued, unbothered. "Besides, it's kind of poetic."

 

Will pushed himself up again, looking down at the son of Hades.

 

"Poetic? Am I rubbing off on you, Mr Solace-di Angelo?"

 

Nico swatted his arm lovingly.

 

"They were there, Will. The day we first truly connected. Remember, on Half-Blood Hill?"

 

Will stared at him.

 

"Nico Solace-di Angelo, are you being  _sappy_?"

 

Nico punched him in the shoulder, before turning huffily to face away from his husband.

 

"So sue me, I got a baby sister-in-law dumped in my arms today, I'm allowed to be a little sappy."

 

Will quickly hugged him from behind. "Of course. I'm sorry, baby. I love you." When he felt a gentle kiss on his shoulder, Nico relented, smiling slightly.

 

“Good night, love.”

 

“And remind me to call my mom, she’s going to kill me if she finds out she’s not the first person I told.”

 

“Good night, Sunshine”

 

“Fine, I can take a hint. Good night, Death Boy. Love you.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, a quick google search will tell you that adultery is still technically illegal in about 21 US states, and that the Ancient Romans had a law that made it legal for a husband to murder his wife and her lover, but not vice-versa. Also I was able to update my list of "shithole" countries with multiple nations where, thanks to the insane man's interpretation of Sharia, you can still legally stone married female rape victims to death. So that's... great.
> 
> Also, might continue this, given sufficient cute fluffy baby ideas, so drop yours in the comments!


End file.
